


Four minutes ahead

by Obsessedwithfanfiction



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Also he chokes Kevin, Baltimore, Canon Divergence, Very small mention of Andrew's abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 10:50:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11311854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsessedwithfanfiction/pseuds/Obsessedwithfanfiction
Summary: Small drabble of the scene after the riot if Kevin had made himself tell the truth before Browning called Wymack to tell them Neil was alive





	Four minutes ahead

“Andrew.” There was nothing that could get past Andrew’s blind focus on Neil’s whereabouts, nothing, except one of now only two people he still had a deal with. Andrew’s eyes flicker to Kevin, his mind still racing through possibilities for Neil’s disappearance, one hand dialling a hospital that’s way too far away for it to be plausible but at this point Andrew’s looking for impossible. Kevin is clutching Neil’s abandoned Exy racquet and he’s looking at Andrew like he’s sorry.

Like he’s about to hurt Andrew but he doesn’t want to.

Andrew wouldn’t recognise this look if it hadn’t been on Neil’s face when he first mentioned Proust; the majority of the people who’ve hurt Andrew definitely wanted to. He wants to rip the look off Kevin’s face, because there’s nothing Kevin can say that will hurt him, he’s untouchable, invulnerable…

(He hasn’t felt this breakable since he was seven and the bedroom door creaked open the first time- Since the first time in Cass’ house that he put knives to his skin and watched his not-life drip down the drain-)

Kevin clearly can’t see how close Andrew is to losing the last of his control because his throat merely works up and down for a full minute, unprepared to get the words out.

“Nathaniel’s not coming back.” He says eventually, and the racquet in his fist is squeezed so hard Andrew swears he sees it splinter before Kevin’s words register. They aren’t the words of the coward, for once, who wants to give up and let Riko drag him back to Hell, but the truth as Kevin sees it. Sunrise, Abram, Death, Truth. 

Kevin knows something.

 

There are hands bending his thumbs backwards almost to the point of dislocation, an almost-blue Kevin choking in air on the ground in front of him, and Neil’s racquet, that’s tumble to the tarmac had alerted his teammates on the bus to Andrew’s latest actions, is partially under the body of the bus now. There are strong arms with tribal tattoos wrapped round his waist, and stocky boxer’s hands gripping his biceps but it’s the thinner female hands on his thumbs that snap him out of his rage for long enough to understand that Kevin cannot pass on his news after he’s dead.

He watches silently, not hearing his teammates’ demands for answers, as Kevin sucks air desperately into his lungs. The red lines around his throat are going to bruise tomorrow.

Andrew wonders when Neil became worth breaking the last shred of goodness in Andrew.

“What do you know.” He demands and it’s not a question. Renee may have managed to pry his hands off Kevin’s throat, but no-one’s taking him away from his answers.

“He’s gone. He’s gone, gone, gone; he never existed in the first place!” Kevin chokes out, verging on hysteria. Abby is flapping somewhere in his peripheral vision and Renee has let go of his hands though Wymack and Matt aren’t quite trusting of his control enough yet to let him go completely, but Andrew has quite possibly never cared less about people touching him without his permission.

“Kevin what are you talking about?” Wymack’s tone is far from Andrew’s stony countenance but he’s still more stern than comforting, realisation about the subject in question marring any affection he usually shows for his son. Kevin buries his head in his hands and his shoulders are shaking. Andrew’s patience is rapidly diminishing.

“Neil. He was running. He told me he thought he’d get to the end of the year before they found him but I found a paper before when we were searching for him and the Butcher was released on early parole; I didn’t know, I didn’t know.” And this time his eyes meet Andrew’s and he’s begging Andrew to believe him. Andrew’s never liked begging. “If I’d known-” Kevin shakes his head because he knows best of all that it would have changed nothing. Kevin never would have encouraged another junkie to run, not even to keep him alive. What was life worth, if it wasn’t spent on an Exy court?

“There’s a countdown on his phone.” Andrew hears himself say without any inflection, and it’s proof of his wavering self-control that he says the words aloud at all. “He knew.”

“Who’s this Butcher?” Matt explodes from behind Andrew, two steps behind as ever. It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t, because whoever’s got him; Neil’s just as de-

“Nathan Wesninski.” If there was ever air in Andrew’s lungs there isn’t any more because he knew Neil hadn’t told him the whole truth but his father being alive, the man who burnt an iron into his shoulder and cut open his stomach with a cleaver, is information that was critical to Andrew keeping him alive.

Which is why, he supposes, Neil broke their deal today. His secrets were more important than his life.

( _His secrets were more important than_ your _life_. A voice whispers and then Andrew can’t purge the thought. _You were amazing, you were amazing, you were amazing_ -)

“He works for Riko’s family, the main branch.” Who knew Kevin had been a repository of information this whole time. How many secrets could Kevin have given him?

(But that wasn’t the point; Neil’s truths were given to Andrew because he wanted to give them. Andrew wasn’t like them)

“Where is he?” Kevin doesn’t get a chance to respond because then Wymack’s phone ringtone is piercing the air. All of them find themselves holding their breath; Kevin’s face crumples, Andrew doesn’t know how he managed to gain _this_ let alone how to lose it-

“The FBI have found Neil. He’s in Baltimore.”


End file.
